RI, Malaysia agree on border in Kalimantan

JAKARTA (JP): After 24 years of talks, Indonesia and Malaysia have finally agreed on more than half of the borderline drawn between the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan and the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Antara said.

The chief of the Indonesian delegation to the talks, Feisal Tamin, and his Malaysian counterpart, Dato' Nik Mohd Zain bin Haji Nik Yusof, signed a memorandum of understanding on 182.2 kilometers of the border on Friday.

The memorandum was the result of the 24th meeting of the national survey committee of West and East Kalimantan (Indonesia) and of Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), held here on April 28 through April 30.

The two ASEAN member countries, however, still have to discuss another 140 km of the border.

"We hope to tackle that during the 25th meeting in March or April 2000 in Malaysia," Feisal said.

According to Feisal, Indonesian and Malaysian delegates have been discussing the border every year since 1975.

"The joint survey on the border has been conducted step by step," he said.

Dato' Nik Mohd Zain bin Hj Nik Yusof expressed satisfaction over the agreement, which he described as important for the two nations to rid themselves of possible territorial problems in the future.